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Food storage rules: Olympic National Park

Bear canister, hang, or locker? See what the land manager requires.

Bear canister requiredDetails

Food storage at Olympic National Park

Olympic National Park

Bear canister required

Managed by National Park Service

Food, trash and scented items, all year, parkwide. In the wilderness, an approved container is required.All year

What counts here

  • Bear-resistant canisterRequiredRequired in all wilderness areas. Only models on the park's approved list count.
  • Soft bear-resistant bag (Ursack)Not allowedNot on the park's approved list, and unlisted containers are not permitted.
  • Food lockerAllowedPark-provided food lockers.
  • Hang (bear bag) No rule found
  • VehicleAllowedA hard-sided vehicle.

Where these rules come from

This placePark rule

Applies to: Food, trash and scented items, all year, parkwide. In the wilderness, an approved container is required.

All year

  • Bear-resistant canisterRequired in all wilderness areas. Only models on the park's approved list count.Required
  • Soft bear-resistant bag (Ursack)Not on the park's approved list, and unlisted containers are not permitted.Not allowed
  • Food lockerPark-provided food lockers.Allowed
  • VehicleA hard-sided vehicle.Allowed

The park says bears and other wildlife are active day and night, all year, so food must be secured at all times.

Where this rule comes from

Wilderness food storage (agency site)

Olympic National Park · Checked

Also: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife advice for the whole state
Statewide guidance (WA)Agency advice

Applies to: Camping anywhere in Washington's bear country. Local storage rules vary.

All year

  • Bear-resistant canisterAn approved bear-resistant container.Recommended
  • VehicleOut of sight in a locked vehicle.Recommended
  • Hang (bear bag)At least 10 ft above the ground and 10 ft from any part of the tree.Recommended

Never keep food, trash, clothes worn while cooking, or toiletries in your tent.

Where this rule comes from

BearWise outdoor safety tips (agency site)

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife · Checked

This is a summary. Check Olympic National Park (opens in a new tab) before you go.

The official rule is the final word.We summarize it to make it easier to find, but rangers go by the land manager's own rule, and rules can change during a season. Check Olympic National Park (agency site) before your trip.

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All places we've checked

Washington

Oregon

How this works

  • Where rules come from. Park rules, national forest orders, and state wildlife agency advice.
  • How we check them.Only on the agency's own pages, at least once a year, and every rule shows the day we checked it.
  • Required means the rule says you must. Recommended means the agency advises it. Allowedmeans it's one of the accepted ways.
  • Places nest.A camp inside a park, or a wilderness inside a forest, shows the rules of both, the most specific first, then your state's advice.
  • Bear-resistant, not bear-proof.The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee says its certification doesn't guarantee a container can never be breached.
  • See all places we've checked.

Sources & last checked

Source: Olympic National Park: Wilderness food storage, North Cascades National Park: Food storage requirements, Mount Rainier National Park: Wilderness guidelines and regulations, Crater Lake National Park: Backcountry FAQ and regulations, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest: Food storage order, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest: Respect wildlife, WDFW: BearWise outdoor safety tips, ODFW: Help keep bears wild, Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee: Bear-resistant productslast checked

Every source we use is on the Credits page.

Related guides

About this tool

Do you need a bear canister, or will a hang do? Can you leave food in the car at the campground? The answer depends on who manages the land, and the rules differ between national parks, national forests, and state lands.

Pick a park, forest, wilderness, or trailhead in Washington or Oregon to see what's required or recommended for storing food, trash, and scented items, where the rule comes from, and links to the official pages. When more than one rule covers a place, like a wilderness inside a national forest, you'll see each one with its source.

We check every rule against the agency's own website at least once a year and show the date we last checked it. Rules can change during a season, so confirm with the land manager before you go. If we haven't checked a place yet, we'll say so and point you to the agency instead of guessing.